The preservation of pork products, including ham, by the application of a curing mixture consisting essentially of salt and saltpeter has been utilized for many centuries. It was, in fact, one of the first methods of meat preservation used in colonial America. It was the practical method of meat preservation in order to have adequate supplies at times when the preservation of fresh meats could not be obtained and spoilage was imminent. The purpose of the process is to increase the salt concentration in the muscle portions of the ham while lowering the moisture content. The increased salt concentation ihhibits microbiological deterioration and slows enzyme activity.
Such salt-cured products have been historically identified in the United States as "country ham", and it is a dry-cured pork product which has become widely accepted throughout the United States, and the southeastern United States in particular. Country ham products continue to enjoy an increase in distribution in the other sections of the United States.
In recent time, the country ham product has been considered a delicacy and a specialty product which has acceptability among consumers primarily for its favor and texture, the curing process not now being considered as essential for preservation as has been required in previous eras prior to the onset of refrigeration technology.
Historically, the process of curing country ham has involved the application of curing mixtures, consisting of various ingredients such as salt, sugar, sodium nitrite, and sodium nitrate and spices, to obtain a desired level of salt concentration, the simultaneous reduction of moisture content and the development of the characteristic cured country ham flavor. There are various processes for the curing of country ham. Some processes do not add the sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate, but simply preserve the ham by the application of conventional salt. Other processes involve smoking the ham to obtain additional preservation on the surface as well as to add the characteristic smoked flavor. In all of these processes the curing and aging process for country ham is accomplished for a bone-in ham. Any subsequent preparation of country ham requires extensive carving and cutting of the product after it has been cured and aged.
This currently used system requires major workmanship for the removal of the bone, skin and fat to obtain the desired cuts of leaner meat, with only the large muscle sections being subject to adequate portioning.
To the knowledge of the inventor there has been no successful process developed for the complete curing and aging of boneless country hams. Additionally, there is no process known to this inventor that would allow the boneless muscle sections to be sectioned, formed and subsequently bound or held together. This is one of the primary objects of the present invention, although this ihvention can be used for curing bone-in ham portions.
In today's market, a country ham is required that is uniformed in portion size, relatively free of fat, with the bone and skin removed prior to its use. One reason for the market requisite of uniformity is the rapidly burgeoning fast food breakfast market that is experiencing significant growth throughout the United States. The uniformity requirement especially needed in the preparation of portion-sized cuts of meat for institutional and restaurant operations. Portion size cuts of meat are equally attractive to the retail market, primarily from the standpoint of precision in control of inventories, economic storage and shipping, and a consequent uniformity in pricing for the consumer.
Through extensive research, the process claimed in this invention is unique and has not been previously reduced to practice successful on a experimental scale, much less a commercial scale. The process of the present invention is effective for commercial production and does result in a ham product that can be uniformally sized, and uniformally cured for a product that is predictable in weight, shape and taste. When this process is used in the production of a boneless ham section, it is generally desired that the removal of bone, skin and excess fat can be conducted prior to processing according to the present invention especially when applied to boneless muscle portions or sections, there is a more uniform distribution of curing ingredients and a more effective binding of the muscle sections for portioning. There is clearly a reduction in labor of processing such country ham products.
Also, by the control of the unique conditions applied during the processing according this invention, the process allows for improved control of the composition (protein, moisture, fat and salt) of the finished product. It also provides for an effective application of the curing compounds which enables an extraction of some muscle protein which subsequently effects the binding of separate muscle portions together to obtain a more characteristic solid muscle structure in the finished product, especially where multiple pieces of ham or muscle sections are joined together in the forming step of this invention for production of a finished product. The process employed in this invention provides for very effective control of microbiological growth in the ham product.
The process of this invention provides for a uniform tasting country ham product effectively cured to prevent the growth of micro-organisms. When applied to boneless ham products, the process allows for the extraction of myosin protein by mixing and massaging the muscle portions with a commerical curing mixture. This protein is very effective in the subsquent binding and adherence of lean muscle portions in the preparation of uniform portion cuts of meat according to this process. The process allows the preparation of a country ham in a boneless condition from the start of the curing operation and develops a standard country ham in a significantly shorter period of time than conventional processing. The uniformity in composition of the finished product results in a more precisely controllable production process and a uniformity in controlling the safety of the product and the process. The process is adaptable to conventional production of boneless country ham portions on a large scale with greater efficiency than previously known in the processing of country ham products. Obviously, the process does facilitate all of the known benefits of country ham curing including the destruction of the trichina parasite and a process for more complete control of microbial growth on ham products.
In the further description of the invention herein, there will be discussion of specific parameters of time, temperature, humidity, air flow, etc. These parameters are disclosed in both broad and narrower ranges. The broad ranges disclosed in this invention are known to produce a satisfactorily cured final product. However, variations in the broad ranges can result in a variation in taste and consistency of the final product.
The preferred ranges discussed in this specification results in a particularly desirable uniform product with a predictable taste and consistency. It is believed that the product produced by the process under the preferred condition results in a more commercially acceptable product. However, it is to be stated at the outset that variations in the parameters within the broad ranges will result in a finished product that is suitable for safe consumption and use but may not be as desirable from a taste or uniform portion size standpoint for commercial production and institutional use.
Clearly deviations within the broad ranges are permissible without deviating from the scope of this invention. The preferred ranges are offered by way of illustration, and not by way of limitation, of the scope of this invention.